Generating downlink sector beams based on uplink channel estimates utilizing a base band unit pool for modular massive multiple-input multiple-output arrays

ABSTRACT

A system includes a base band unit pooling component that determines, via a base band unit pool of base station devices, respective uplink channel estimates of an uplink channel wirelessly coupling, using frequency division duplexing via respective modular antenna elements, a user equipment to the base band unit pool. A downlink channel estimation component of the system derives, based on the respective uplink channel estimates, a downlink channel estimate of a downlink channel wirelessly coupling, using the frequency division duplexing via a portion of the respective modular antenna elements corresponding to a base station device of the base band unit pool, the base station device to the user equipment. In turn, the system generates, using the downlink channel estimate, a group of downlink sector beams to be transmitted to the user equipment using the downlink channel via the portion of the respective modular antenna elements.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The subject disclosure generally relates to embodiments for generatingdownlink sector beams based on uplink channel estimates utilizing a baseband unit (BBU) pool for modular massive multiple-input multiple-output(M-MIMO) arrays.

BACKGROUND

Conventional cellular, e.g., multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO),M-MIMO, etc. technologies integrate control circuitry within and/orattached to a cellular tower, cellular antenna, etc.—such controlcircuitry including a remote radio head (RRH) that includes radiofrequency (RF) circuitry, digital-to-analog (D/A) circuitry,analog-to-digital (A/D) circuitry, power components, etc. used tocontrol, broadcast, receive, etc. signals via the cellular tower.

As the number of cellular bands, ports, antenna elements, etc. that havebeen included within or attached to cellular towers has increased, e.g.,to accommodate the demand for increased communication capacity, thedeployment of larger, heavier, etc. cellular towers has been limited dueto antenna size restrictions, weight restrictions, etc., e.g.,corresponding to rooftop placement, wind loading, etc.

Consequently, conventional cellular technologies have had some drawbackswith respect to accommodating the demand for increased communicationcapacity, some of which are noted with reference to the variousembodiments described herein below.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Non-limiting embodiments of the subject disclosure are described withreference to the following figures, wherein like reference numeralsrefer to like parts throughout the various views unless otherwisespecified:

FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of a cellular system including a BBUpool for generating downlink sector beams based on uplink channelestimates for modular M-MIMO arrays, in accordance with various exampleembodiments;

FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram of a frequency division duplexing(FDD) M-MIMO signal processing component, in accordance with variousexample embodiments;

FIG. 3 illustrates a block diagram of a base station device of a BBUpool including modular antenna elements, in accordance with variousexample embodiments;

FIG. 4 illustrates a block diagram of a base station device on a rooftopof a building for generating downlink sector beams based on uplinkchannel estimates for modular M-MIMO arrays, in accordance with variousexample embodiments;

FIG. 5 illustrates a block diagram of a BBU pooling component, inaccordance with various example embodiments;

FIGS. 6-7 illustrate block diagrams of a base station device on arooftop of a building for facilitating a reduction of uplink noisecorresponding to passive intermodulation (PIM) interference, inaccordance with various example embodiments;

FIG. 8 illustrates a flow chart of a method associated with a cellularsystem including a BBU pool for generating downlink sector beams basedon uplink channel estimates for modular M-MIMO arrays, in accordancewith various example embodiments;

FIG. 9 illustrates a flow chart of another method associated with acellular system including a BBU pool for generating downlink sectorbeams based on uplink channel estimates for modular M-MIMO arrays, inaccordance with various example embodiments;

FIG. 10 illustrates a block diagram of a wireless network environment,in accordance various example embodiments; and

FIG. 11 is a block diagram representing an illustrative non-limitingcomputing system or operating environment in which one or more aspectsof various embodiments described herein can be implemented.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Aspects of the subject disclosure will now be described more fullyhereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings in which exampleembodiments are shown. In the following description, for purposes ofexplanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to providea thorough understanding of the various embodiments. However, thesubject disclosure may be embodied in many different forms and shouldnot be construed as limited to the example embodiments set forth herein.

As described above, conventional cellular technologies have had somedrawbacks with respect to increasing the size and capacity of cellulartowers in a M-MIMO communication environment—such technologies beinglimited by antenna size restrictions, weight restrictions, etc.corresponding to rooftop placement, wind loading, etc. Variousembodiments disclosed herein can improve antenna throughput andperformance by generating downlink sector beams based on uplink channelestimates utilizing a BBU pool for modular M-MIMO arrays.

For example, in embodiment(s), a system includes a processor and amemory that stores executable components that, when executed by theprocessor, facilitate performance of operations by the system, theexecutable components including: an FDD M-MIMO signal processingcomponent that includes a BBU pooling component and a downlink channelestimation component.

The BBU pooling component determines, via a BBU pool of base stationdevices, respective uplink channel estimates of an uplink channelwirelessly coupling, using FDD via respective modular antenna elementsof the BBU pool, a user equipment (EU), mobile device, etc. to the BBUpool.

The downlink channel estimation component derives, based on therespective uplink channel estimates, a downlink channel estimate of adownlink channel wirelessly coupling, using the FDD via a portion of therespective modular antenna elements corresponding to a base stationdevice of the BBU pool, the base station device to the UE.

In turn, the FDD M-MIMO signal processing component generates, using thedownlink channel estimate, a group of downlink sector beams to betransmitted to the UE using the downlink channel via the portion of therespective modular antenna elements.

In an embodiment, the BBU pooling component determines the respectiveuplink channel estimates utilizing data signals and respectivedemodulation reference signals corresponding to the data signals, inwhich the data signals have been received by at least a part of the basestation devices of the BBU pool via a data channel wirelessly couplingthe UE to the part of the base station devices.

In one embodiment, the downlink channel estimation component derives thedownlink channel estimate by characterizing a channel delay spread ofthe uplink channel to obtain a characterization of the channel delayspread. In turn, the downlink channel estimation component derives adownlink frequency response of the downlink channel based on thecharacterization of the channel delay spread, an uplink frequencyresponse of an uplink signal that has been received on the uplinkchannel, and an angle of arrival of the uplink signal.

In another embodiment, the downlink channel estimation componentcharacterizes the channel delay spread of the uplink channel bydetermining a statistical average of the uplink channel estimate over adefined period of time that is based on a channel time coherence of theuplink channel, and by determining the statistical average of the uplinkchannel estimate over a frequency span that is based on a frequencycoherence bandwidth of the uplink signal.

In yet another embodiment, the downlink channel estimation componentderives the downlink channel estimate by deriving, based on an uplinkangle of arrival of an uplink signal that has been received on theuplink channel, a downlink angle of departure of a downlink sector beamof the group of downlink sector beams via resampling based on a ratio ofan uplink carrier frequency of the uplink channel to a downlink carrierfrequency of the downlink channel.

In an embodiment, the FDD M-MIMO signal processing component transmits,using the downlink channel via the portion of the respective modularantenna elements, the group of downlink sector beams to the UE. In thisregard, in embodiment(s), the portion of the respective modular antennaelements are placed on an antenna tower or a rooftop of a buildingaccording to a group of available positions that includes an arbitraryposition on the antenna tower or the rooftop, a horizontal position onthe antenna tower or the rooftop, and a vertical position on the antennatower or the rooftop. Further, the portion of the respective modularantenna elements are connected together, communicatively coupled, etc.via software corresponding to a BBU of the BBU pool to obtain acontiguous antenna including multi-panel and/or module, modular, etc.connectivity to facilitate an enhancement of an aperture of thecontiguous antenna and/or a performance of the contiguous antenna.

In one embodiment, the BBU pooling component assigns, via the respectivemodular antenna elements of the BBU pool, additional capacity from theBBU pool to obtain an increased aperture and increased orthogonal beamsto facilitate increased simultaneous mobile terminal communications,e.g., with the UE and other UEs, over common time slots and commonfrequency slots.

In another embodiment, the FDD M-MIMO signal processing componenttransmits the group of downlink sector beams to the UE via a beamadaptation component. In this regard, the beam adaptation componentadapts, via the portion of the respective modular antenna elements,respective transmissions of the group of downlink sector beams to theUE. In embodiment(s), the beam adaptation component adapts therespective transmissions by modifying one or more of: an uplink powercontrol parameter (P0), a shape of a downlink sector beam of the groupof downlink sector beams, an azimuth of a transmission of the respectivetransmissions, an elevation of the transmission, a power of thetransmission, or a number of the downlink sector beams that are includedin the group of downlink sector beams.

In yet another embodiment, the FDD M-MIMO signal processing componentreduces, via a PIM interference component, an effect of passiveintermodulation (PIM) interference on uplink signals that have beenreceived from the UE. In this regard, the PIM interference componenttransmits, using the downlink channel via at least a part of therespective modular antenna elements of the BBU pool, null(s) directed torespective locations of a group of determined PIM interference sources.

In an embodiment, the PIM interference component avoids transmission ofdata in a direction associated with the determined PIM interferencesources, and/or towards a beam associated with the determined passiveintermodulation interference sources.

In one embodiment, the PIM interference component reduces an effect ofPIM interference on uplink signals that have been received from the UEby modifying, based on a received signal covariance function, a group ofuplink weights to be applied to the uplink signals, and applying, duringuplink beamforming, the group of uplink weights to the uplink signals toemulate that null(s) have been directed to respective locations of agroup of determined PIM interference sources.

In another embodiment, the FDD M-MIMO signal processing componentreduces, via a non-served cell wireless device component, an effect ofinterference, corresponding to transmissions of non-served cell UEdevices (e.g., UEs not being serviced via the BBU pool), on uplinksignals that have been received from the UE. In this regard, thenon-served cell wireless device component determines respectivedetermined locations of the non-served cell UE devices using uplinkpilot signals, sounding reference signals, and/or data signals that havebeen received via at least the part of the respective modular antennaelements of the BBU pool. In turn, the non-served cell wireless devicecomponent transmits, using the downlink channel via at least the part ofthe respective modular antenna elements of the BBU pool, null(s)directed to respective determined locations of the non-served cell UEdevices.

In yet another embodiment, the FDD M-MIMO signal processing componentoptimizes, via a downlink channel optimization component, acommunication capacity of the downlink channel while satisfyingcorresponding communication conditions of the downlink channel by:assigning higher communication priorities to respective communications,via the uplink channel or the downlink channel, associated with aportion of a group of mobile devices, UEs, etc. corresponding to adetermined communication bandwidth that is lower than remainingdetermined communication bandwidths of remaining portions of the groupof mobile devices; or by assigning higher transmission powers to therespective communications, via the uplink channel or the downlinkchannel, corresponding to the portion of the group of mobile devices.

In an embodiment, the FDD M-MIMO signal processing component furtheroptimizes, via the downlink channel optimization component, thecommunication capacity of the downlink channel by: estimating theseparability of the group of mobile devices via covariance crosscorrelation and/or via identification of specific orthogonal beamscorresponding to respective locations of the mobile devices; anddetermining whether to schedule parallel transmissions to the mobiledevices.

In this regard, in embodiment(s), in response to respective mobiledevices of the group of mobile devices being determined to havedifferent quality of service class identifiers, the FDD M-MIMO signalprocessing component schedules, via the downlink channel optimizationcomponent, the parallel transmissions by assigning, to the respectivemobile devices, distinct priorities corresponding to the paralleltransmissions to facilitate differentiation of respective qualities ofservice corresponding to the different quality of service classidentifiers of the group of mobile devices.

In one embodiment, a method includes: determining, by a systemcomprising a processor via a group of base station devices of the systemusing FDD, uplink channel estimates of an uplink channel wirelesslycoupling a UE to the group of base station devices via respectivemodular antenna elements of the group of base station devices; based onthe uplink channel estimates, determining, by the system, a downlinkchannel estimate of a downlink channel wirelessly coupling, using FDD, abase station device of the group of base station devices to the UE via aportion of the respective modular antenna elements corresponding to thebase station device; and based on the downlink channel estimate,generating, by the system, a group of downlink sector beams to betransmitted, via the portion of the respective modular antenna elementscorresponding to the base station device, to the UE.

In another embodiment, the method further includes: mitigating, by thesystem, interference from a portion of base station devices of the groupof base station devices that are located at an edge of a wirelesscoverage area of the group of base station devices by reassigningorthogonal pilot signal(s) corresponding to non-served cell UE devicescorresponding to the portion of base station devices.

In yet another embodiment, the method further includes: minimizes, bythe system via a characteristic of a passive gain of the portion of therespective modular antenna elements or via a reduction of respectivetransmit powers to a center portion of a cell corresponding to therespective modular antenna elements, an amount of energy correspondingto downlink transmissions via the portion of the respective modularantenna elements

In an embodiment, a non-transitory machine-readable medium includesexecutable instructions that, when executed by a base station devicecomprising a processor, facilitate performance of operations,comprising: deriving, using a BBU pool of base station devices, anuplink channel characteristic of an uplink channel wirelessly coupling,using respective modular antenna panels of the base station devices viaFDD, a UE to the BBU pool; based on the uplink channel estimate,deriving a downlink channel estimate of a downlink channel wirelesscoupling, using a portion of the respective modular antenna panels viathe FDD, the UE to a base station device of the BBU pool; and based onthe downlink channel estimate, generating a group of downlink sectorbeams to be transmitted to the UE using the downlink channel via theportion of the respective modular antenna panels.

In one embodiment, the operations further include: using the portion ofthe respective modular antenna panels, adapting respective transmissionsof the group of downlink sector beams to facilitate a reduction ofinterference corresponding to non-served cell UE(s) or a source of PIMinterference.

Reference throughout this specification to “one embodiment,” “anembodiment,” etc. means that a particular feature, structure, orcharacteristic described in connection with the embodiment is includedin at least one embodiment. Thus, the appearances of the phrase “in oneembodiment,” “in an embodiment,” etc. in various places throughout thisspecification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment.Furthermore, the particular features, structures, or characteristics maybe combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments.

As described above, conventional cellular technologies have had somedrawbacks with respect to accommodating the demand for increasedcommunication capacity of cellular towers. In this regard, thedeployment of larger, heavier, etc. cellular towers to accommodate suchdemand has been limited due to antenna size restrictions, weightrestrictions, etc., e.g., corresponding to rooftop placement, windloading, etc. To address these and other concerns of conventionalcellular technologies, various embodiments disclosed herein can improveantenna throughput and performance by generating, based on uplinkchannel estimates, downlink sector beams via a BBU pool for modularM-MIMO arrays.

Now referring to FIGS. 1-2, block diagrams of a cellular system (100)including a BBU pool (101) of base station devices (110 _(A), 110 _(B),110 _(C), 110 _(D)) for generating downlink sector beams (120) based onuplink channel estimates for modular M-MIMO arrays, and an FDD M-MIMOsignal processing component (130) are illustrated, respectively, inaccordance with various example embodiments. The FDD M-MIMO signalprocessing component includes a BBU pooling component (210) and adownlink channel estimation component (220).

The BBU pooling component determines, via the BBU pool of base stationdevices, respective uplink channel estimates of an uplink channelwirelessly coupling, using FDD via respective modular antenna elementsof the BBU pool, a user equipment (EU), mobile device, etc. (e.g., 106)to the BBU pool. In this regard, in embodiment(s), portion(s) (see,e.g., 310 _(A), 310 _(B), 310 _(C) illustrated by FIG. 3) of therespective modular antenna elements, e.g., of one or more of the basestation device of the BBU pool, are connected together, communicativelycoupled, etc. via software corresponding to a BBU of the BBU pool toobtain a contiguous antenna including multi-panel, modular, module, etc.connectivity to facilitate an enhancement of an aperture of thecontiguous antenna, a performance of the contiguous antenna, etc. Inthis regard, although portions of the respective modular antennaelements of the base station device (110 _(B)) are illustrated asforming the contiguous antenna, it should be appreciated that otherportions of the respective modular antenna elements of other basestation devices (e.g., 110 _(A), 110 _(C), 110 _(D)) of the BBU pool canbe part of, connected to, communicatively coupled with, etc. theportions of the respective modular antenna elements of the base stationdevice to form the contiguous antenna.

In an embodiment, the BBU pooling component determines the respectiveuplink channel estimates utilizing data signals and respectivedemodulation reference signals corresponding to the data signals, inwhich the data signals have been received by at least a part of the basestation devices of the BBU pool via a data channel wirelessly couplingthe UE to the part of the base station devices.

The downlink channel estimation component derives, based on therespective uplink channel estimates, a downlink channel estimate of adownlink channel wirelessly coupling, using the FDD via a portion (e.g.,310 _(A), 310 _(B), 310 _(C)) of the respective modular antenna elementscorresponding to a base station device (e.g., 110 _(B)) of the BBU pool,the base station device to the UE.

In one embodiment, the downlink channel estimation component derives thedownlink channel estimate, e.g., comprising a downlink frequencyresponse of the downlink channel, by characterizing a channel delayspread of the uplink channel to obtain a characterization of the channeldelay spread. In turn, the downlink channel estimation component derivesthe downlink frequency response of the downlink channel based on thecharacterization of the channel delay spread, an uplink frequencyresponse of an uplink signal that has been received on the uplinkchannel, and an angle of arrival of the uplink signal.

In another embodiment, the downlink channel estimation componentcharacterizes the channel delay spread of the uplink channel bydetermining a statistical average of the uplink channel estimate over adefined period of time that is based on a channel time coherence, orcoherence time, of the uplink channel, and over a frequency span that isbased on a frequency coherence bandwidth, or coherence bandwidth, of theuplink signal.

In yet another embodiment, the downlink channel estimation componentderives the downlink channel estimate by deriving, based on an uplinkangle of arrival of an uplink signal that has been received on theuplink channel, a downlink angle of departure of a downlink sector beamof the group of downlink sector beams via resampling—the resamplingbeing based on a ratio of an uplink carrier frequency of the uplinkchannel to a downlink carrier frequency of the downlink channel.

Referring now to FIG. 3, the FDD M-MIMO signal processing componentgenerates, using the downlink channel estimate, a group (e.g., 120) ofdownlink sector beams (e.g., 122, 124, 126) to be transmitted to the UEvia the downlink channel using the portion of the respective modularantenna elements corresponding to the base station device of the BBUpool.

In this regard, in embodiment(s), the FDD M-MIMO signal processingcomponent performs “digital sectorization” of a sector (120) by dividinga downlink sector into respective, e.g., two, sectors, and generatesdownlink sector beams 122 and 124 corresponding to the respectivesectors and having beam widths of approximately 40 degrees.

In turn, the FDD M-MIMO signal processing component transmits, using thedownlink channel via the portion of the respective modular antennaelements, the group of downlink sector beams (122 and 124) to the UE. Inthis regard, in an embodiment, the intersection of beams 122 and 124 arerepresented, modeled, etc. by beam 126, e.g., comprising a beam width ofapproximately 40 degrees.

In one embodiment, the BBU pooling component assigns, via the respectivemodular antenna elements of the BBU pool, additional capacity from theBBU pool, e.g., to obtain an increased aperture and/or performance for acontiguous antenna including multi-panel and/or module connectivity. Inthis regard, the contiguous antenna includes portions of the respectivemodular antenna elements of the base station device (110 _(B)) and otherportions of the respective modular antenna elements of other basestation device(s) (e.g., 110 _(A), 110 _(C), 110 _(D)) of the BBU poolthat have been connected together, communicatively coupled, etc. viasoftware corresponding to a BBU of the BBU pool.

In embodiment(s), the respective modular antenna elements are identical,e.g., each modular antenna element comprising defined commonattribute(s) with respect to, e.g., shape, dimension, size, number ofantenna elements, etc.—such common attributes enabling a defined numberof modular antenna elements to be connected, communicatively coupled,etc. together in a “plug-and-play” manner, e.g., to form, incombination, a unified, combined, etc. cellular antenna, e.g., thecontiguous antenna, of a configurable size, a configurable number ofantenna elements, etc.

In an embodiment illustrated by FIG. 4, the portion of the respectivemodular antenna elements are placed on an antenna tower (110 _(B)) on aroof top of a building (410) according to a position on the antennatower that has been selected from a group of available positions—thegroup of available positions including an arbitrary, horizontal, andvertical position.

In yet another embodiment, the BBU pooling component assigns, via therespective modular antenna elements of the BBU pool, additional capacityfrom the BBU pool to obtain, e.g., via the contiguous antenna, anincreased aperture and increased orthogonal beams to facilitateincreased simultaneous mobile terminal, UE, etc. communications, e.g.,with the UE and other UEs (e.g., 102, 104, 106), over common time slotsand common frequency slots.

Now referring to an embodiment illustrated by FIG. 5, the BBU poolingcomponent includes a beam adaptation component (510), a PIM interferencecomponent (520), a non-served cell wireless device component (530), anda downlink channel optimization component (540).

The beam adaptation component adapts, via the portion of the respectivemodular antenna elements, respective transmissions of the group ofdownlink sector beams to the UE. In embodiment(s), the beam adaptationcomponent adapts the respective transmissions by modifying one or moreof: an uplink power control parameter (P0), a shape of a downlink sectorbeam of the group of downlink sector beams, an azimuth of a transmissionof the respective transmissions of the group of downlink sector beams,an elevation of the transmission, a power of the transmission, or anumber of the downlink sector beams that are included in the group ofdownlink sector beams.

For example, the beam adaptation component can change the downlinksector beam to be narrower or fatter. In another example, the beamadaptation component can modify lobes, an amount of the lobes, etc. thatare included in the downlink sector beam. In yet another example, thebeam adaptation component can modify a number of nulls that are includedin the downlink sector beam.

Referring now to FIG. 6, the PIM interference component reduces aneffect of PIM interference on uplink signals that have been receivedfrom wireless devices (e.g., 102, 104, 106) by transmitting, steering,etc., via the group of downlink sector beams, null(s) directed torespective locations of determined PIM interference source(s) (e.g.,602).

In this regard, in one embodiment, the PIM interference componentapplies, fully loads, etc. pseudo random data, artificial data, etc. torespective downlink orthogonal beams (622, 624), and performs anorthogonal beam scan of the respective downlink orthogonal beams, e.g.,transmitting, sweeping, etc. the respective downlink orthogonal beams,e.g., via different transmission powers, towards a field of view, e.g.,an entire transmission area of the sector (120), e.g., spanning atransmission space, area, etc. of the portion of the respective modularantenna elements, the contiguous antenna, etc.

In turn, the PIM interference component monitors, determines, etc.,e.g., during uplink beam forming, uplink noise that has been incurred onuplink signals that have been received from the wireless devices andthat corresponds to each downlink beam of the respective downlinkorthogonal beams. Further, the PIM interference component determines alocation of a PIM interference source (602) based on the uplink noise,and derives a null (626) corresponding to the location of the PIMinterference.

Furthermore, in an embodiment illustrated by FIG. 7, the PIMinterference component transmits, via downlink sector beams 710 and 720using at least a part of the respective modular antenna elements of theBBU pool, the null directed to the PIM interference source.

In another embodiment, the PIM interference component avoidstransmission of data in a direction associated with a PIM interferencesource, and/or in a direction towards a beam associated with the PIMinterference source.

In yet another embodiment, the PIM interference component reduces aneffect of PIM interference on uplink signals that have been receivedfrom the UE by modifying, based on a received signal covariancefunction, a group of uplink weights to be applied to the uplink signals;and applying, during uplink beamforming, the group of uplink weights tothe uplink signals to emulate that null(s) have been directed torespective locations of a group of determined PIM interference sourcescorresponding to the PIM interference.

In embodiment(s), the non-served cell wireless device component reducesan effect of interference, corresponding to transmissions of non-servedcell UE devices (e.g., 108), on uplink signals that have been receivedfrom the UE. In this regard, the non-served cell wireless devicecomponent determines respective determined locations of the non-servedcell UE devices, e.g., which are communicatively coupled to other basestation device(s) (not shown) that are not part of the BBU pool, usinguplink pilot signals, sounding reference signals, and/or data signalsthat have been received via at least the part of the respective modularantenna elements of the BBU pool. In turn, the non-served cell wirelessdevice component transmits, using the downlink channel via at least thepart of the respective modular antenna elements of the BBU pool, null(s)directed to respective determined locations of the non-served cell UEdevices.

In other embodiment(s), the downlink channel optimization componentoptimizes a communication capacity of the downlink channel whilesatisfying corresponding communication conditions of the downlinkchannel by assigning higher communication priorities to respectivecommunications, via the uplink channel or the downlink channel,associated with a portion of a group of mobile devices corresponding toa determined communication bandwidth that is lower than remainingdetermined communication bandwidths of remaining portions of the groupof mobile devices; or by assigning higher transmission powers to therespective communications, via the uplink channel or the downlinkchannel, corresponding to the portion of the group of mobile devices.

In yet other embodiment(s), the downlink channel estimation componentfurther optimizes the communication capacity by estimating theseparability of the group of mobile devices via covariance crosscorrelation and/or via identification of specific orthogonal beamscorresponding to respective locations of the mobile devices; and bydetermining whether to schedule parallel transmissions to the mobiledevices.

In this regard, in embodiment(s), in response to respective mobiledevices of the group of mobile devices being determined to havedifferent quality of service class identifiers, the downlink channelestimation component schedules the parallel transmissions by assigning,to the respective mobile devices, distinct priorities corresponding tothe parallel transmissions to facilitate differentiation of respectivequalities of service corresponding to the different quality of serviceclass identifiers of the group of mobile devices.

FIGS. 8-9 illustrate methodologies in accordance with the disclosedsubject matter. For simplicity of explanation, the methodologies aredepicted and described as a series of acts. It is to be understood andappreciated that various embodiments disclosed herein are not limited bythe acts illustrated and/or by the order of acts. For example, acts canoccur in various orders and/or concurrently, and with other acts notpresented or described herein. Furthermore, not all illustrated acts maybe required to implement the methodologies in accordance with thedisclosed subject matter. In addition, those skilled in the art willunderstand and appreciate that the methodologies could alternatively berepresented as a series of interrelated states via a state diagram orevents. Additionally, it should be further appreciated that themethodologies disclosed hereinafter and throughout this specificationare capable of being stored on an article of manufacture to facilitatetransporting and transferring such methodologies to computers. The termarticle of manufacture, as used herein, is intended to encompass acomputer program accessible from any computer-readable device, carrier,or media.

Referring now to FIG. 8, a flowchart of a method (800) associated with asystem, cellular system (100), etc. including a BBU pool for generatingdownlink sector beams based on uplink channel estimates for modularM-MIMO arrays is illustrated, in accordance with various exampleembodiments. At 810, the system determines, via a BBU pool of basestation devices, respective uplink channel estimates of an uplinkchannel wirelessly coupling, using FDD via respective modular antennaelements of the BBU pool, a UE to the BBU pool.

At 820, the system derives, based on the respective uplink channelestimates, a downlink channel estimate of a downlink channel wirelesslycoupling, using the FDD via a portion of the respective modular antennaelements corresponding to a base station device of the BBU pool, thebase station device to the UE.

At 830, the system generates, using the downlink channel estimate, agroup of downlink sector beams to be transmitted to the UE using thedownlink channel via the portion of the respective modular antennaelements corresponding to the base station device of the BBU pool.

At 840, the system transits, using the downlink channel via the portionof the respective modular antenna elements corresponding to the basestation device of the BBU pool, the group of downlink sector beams tothe UE.

FIG. 9 illustrates a flowchart of another method (900) associated with asystem, cellular system (100), etc. including a BBU pool for generatingdownlink sector beams based on uplink channel estimates for modularM-MIMO arrays, in accordance with various example embodiments. At 910,the system determines, via a group of base station devices of the systemusing FDD, uplink channel estimates of an uplink channel wirelesslycoupling a UE to the group of base station devices via respectivemodular antenna elements of the group of base station devices.

At 920, the system determines, based on the uplink channel estimates, adownlink channel estimate of a downlink channel wirelessly coupling,using FDD, a base station device of the group of base station devices tothe UE via a portion of the respective modular antenna elementscorresponding to the base station device.

At 930, the system generates, based on the downlink channel estimate, agroup of downlink sector beams to be transmitted, via the portion of therespective modular antenna elements corresponding to the base stationdevice, to the UE.

At 940, the system transmits, via the portion of the respective modularantenna elements corresponding to the base station device, a group ofdownlink sector beams to the UE.

With respect to FIG. 10, a wireless communication environment 1000including macro network platform 1010 is illustrated, in accordance withvarious embodiments. Macro network platform 1010 serves or facilitatescommunication with a device (102, 104, 106, 108) via a cellular system(100). It should be appreciated that in cellular wireless technologies,e.g., 3GPP UMTS, high speed packet access (HSPA), 3GPP LTE, thirdgeneration partnership project 2 (3GPP2), ultra-mobile broadband (UMB),LTE-A, 5G, etc. that can be associated with the cellular system, macronetwork platform 1010 can be embodied in a core network. It is notedthat the cellular system can include base station(s), base transceiverstation(s), access point(s), etc. (e.g., 110 _(A-D), eNBs, gNBs, etc.)and associated electronic circuitry and deployment site(s), in additionto a wireless radio link (1020) operated in accordance with the basestation(s), etc. Accordingly, the cellular system can comprise variouscoverage cells, or wireless coverage areas. In addition, it should beappreciated that elements and/or components, e.g., of the cellularsystem, can be located/included within one or more components/elements,e.g., hardware, software, etc., of wireless communication environment1000, e.g., macro network platform 1010, etc.

Generally, macro network platform 1010 includes components, e.g., nodes,GWs, interfaces, servers, platforms, etc. that facilitate bothpacket-switched (PS), e.g., IP, frame relay, asynchronous transfer mode(ATM), and circuit-switched (CS) traffic, e.g., voice and data, andcontrol generation for networked wireless communication. In variousembodiments, macro network platform 1010 includes CS gateway (GW)node(s) 1012 that can interface CS traffic received from legacy networkslike telephony network(s) 1040, e.g., public switched telephone network(PSTN), public land mobile network (PLMN), Signaling System No. 7 (SS7)network 1060, etc. CS GW node(s) 1012 can authorize and authenticatetraffic, e.g., voice, arising from such networks. Additionally, CS GWnode(s) 1012 can access mobility or roaming data generated through SS7network 1060; for instance, mobility data stored in a visitor locationregister (VLR), which can reside in memory 1030. Moreover, CS GW node(s)1012 interfaces CS-based traffic and signaling with PS GW node(s) 1018.As an example, in a 3GPP UMTS network, PS GW node(s) 1018 can beembodied in GW general packet radio service (GPRS) support node(s)(GGSN).

As illustrated by FIG. 10, PS GW node(s) 1018 can receive and processCS-switched traffic and signaling via CS GW node(s) 1012. Further PS GWnode(s) 1018 can authorize and authenticate PS-based data sessions,e.g., via the cellular system, with served devices, communicationdevices, etc. Such data sessions can include traffic exchange withnetworks external to macro network platform 1010, like wide areanetwork(s) (WANs) 1050; enterprise networks (NWs) 1070, e.g., E911,service NW(s) 1080, e.g., an IP multimedia subsystem (IMS), etc. Itshould be appreciated that local area network(s) (LANs), which may be apart of enterprise NW(s) 1070, can also be interfaced with macro networkplatform 1010 through PS GW node(s) 1018. PS GW node(s) 1018 cangenerate packet data contexts when a data session is established, e.g.,associated with an EPS bearer context activation. To that end, in anaspect, PS GW node(s) 1018 can include a tunnel interface, e.g., tunneltermination GW (TTG) in 3GPP UMTS network(s) (not shown), which canfacilitate packetized communication with disparate wireless network(s),such as Wi-Fi networks. It should be further appreciated that thepacketized communication can include multiple flows that can begenerated through server(s) 1014. It is to be noted that in 3GPP UMTSnetwork(s), PS GW node(s) 1018 (e.g., GGSN) and tunnel interface (e.g.,TTG) comprise a packet data GW (PDG).

Macro network platform 1010 also includes serving node(s) 1016 that canconvey the various packetized flows of information, or data streams,received through PS GW node(s) 1018. As an example, in a 3GPP UMTSnetwork, serving node(s) can be embodied in serving GPRS support node(s)(SGSN).

As indicated above, server(s) 1014 in macro network platform 1010 canexecute numerous applications, e.g., messaging, location services,wireless device management, etc. that can generate multiple disparatepacketized data streams or flows; and can manage such flows, e.g.,schedule, queue, format. Such application(s), for example can includeadd-on features to standard services provided by macro network platform1010. Data streams can be conveyed to PS GW node(s) 1018 forauthorization/authentication and initiation of a data session, and toserving node(s) 1016 for communication thereafter. Server(s) 1014 canalso effect security, e.g., implement one or more firewalls, of macronetwork platform 1010 to ensure network's operation and data integrityin addition to authorization and authentication procedures that CS GWnode(s) 1012 and PS GW node(s) 1018 can enact. Moreover, server(s) 1014can provision services from external network(s), e.g., WAN 1050, orglobal positioning system (GPS) network(s), which can be a part ofenterprise NW(s) 1080. It is to be noted that server(s) 1014 can includeone or more processors configured to confer at least in part thefunctionality of macro network platform 1010. To that end, the one ormore processors can execute code instructions stored in memory 1030, forexample.

In wireless communication environment 1000, memory 1030 can storeinformation related to operation of macro network platform 1010, e.g.,related to operation of a base station device (e.g., 110 _(B)), etc. Theinformation can include data, business data, etc. associated withsubscribers of respective services; market plans and strategies, e.g.,promotional campaigns, business partnerships, mobile devices servedthrough macro network platform, etc.; service and privacy information,policies, etc.; end-user service logs for law enforcement; term(s)and/or condition(s) associated with wireless service(s) provided via thecellular system; and so forth. Memory 1030 can also store informationfrom at least one of telephony network(s) 1040, WAN 1050, SS7 network1060, enterprise NW(s) 1070, or service NW(s) 1080.

In one or more embodiments, components of wireless communicationenvironment 1000 can provide communication services to the deviceutilizing an over-the-air wireless link (e.g., 1020) via the cellularsystem. In this regard, the cellular system can include one or more:macro, Femto, or pico access points (APs) (not shown); base stations(e.g., 110 _(B)); landline networks (e.g., optical landline networks,electrical landline networks) (not shown) communicatively coupledbetween the device and macro network platform 1010, etc.

Wireless communication environment 1000 can include one or more of theInternet (or another communication network (e.g., IP-based network)), orDSL-type or broadband network facilitated by Ethernet or othertechnology. In various embodiments, wireless communication environment1000 can include hardware and/or software for allocating resources tothe device and the cellular system, converting or enforcing protocols,establishing and/or providing levels of quality of service (QoS),providing applications or services, translating signals, and/orperforming other desired functions to facilitate system interoperabilityand communication to/from the device and the cellular system.

In other embodiment(s), wireless communication environment 1000 caninclude data store component(s), a memory configured to storeinformation, computer-readable storage media storing computer-executableinstructions, e.g., memory 240, memory 1030, etc. enabling variousoperations performed via wireless system as described herein.

As it employed in the subject specification, the term “processor”,“processing component”, etc. can refer to substantially any computingprocessing unit or device comprising, but not limited to comprising,single-core processors; single-processors with software multithreadexecution capability; multi-core processors; multi-core processors withsoftware multithread execution capability; multi-core processors withhardware multithread technology; parallel platforms; and parallelplatforms with distributed shared memory. Additionally, a processor canrefer to an integrated circuit, an application specific integratedcircuit (ASIC), a digital signal processor (DSP), a field programmablegate array (FPGA), a programmable logic controller (PLC), a complexprogrammable logic device (CPLD), a discrete gate or transistor logic,discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed toperform the functions and/or processes described herein. Processors canexploit nano-scale architectures such as, but not limited to, molecularand quantum-dot based transistors, switches and gates, in order tooptimize space usage or enhance performance of mobile devices. Aprocessor may also be implemented as a combination of computingprocessing units.

In the subject specification, terms such as “data store,” “memorystorage,” “memory component”, “memory”, and substantially any otherinformation storage component relevant to operation and functionality ofa component and/or process, refer to “memory components,” or entitiesembodied in a “memory,” or components comprising the memory. It will beappreciated that the memory components described herein can be eithervolatile memory or nonvolatile memory, or can include both volatile andnonvolatile memory.

By way of illustration, and not limitation, nonvolatile memory, forexample, can be included in memory 240, memory 1030, system memory 1106(see below), external storage 1116 (see below), and/or memory storage1152 (see below). Further, nonvolatile memory can be included in readonly memory (ROM), programmable ROM (PROM), electrically programmableROM (EPROM), electrically erasable ROM (EEPROM), or flash memory.Volatile memory 1020 can include random access memory (RAM), which actsas external cache memory. By way of illustration and not limitation, RAMis available in many forms such as synchronous RAM (SRAM), dynamic RAM(DRAM), synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), double data rate SDRAM (DDR SDRAM),enhanced SDRAM (ESDRAM), Synchlink DRAM (SLDRAM), and direct Rambus RAM(DRRAM). Additionally, the disclosed memory components of systems ormethods herein are intended to comprise, without being limited tocomprising, these and any other suitable types of memory.

In order to provide additional context for various embodiments describedherein, FIG. 11 and the following discussion are intended to provide abrief, general description of a suitable computing environment 1100 inwhich the various embodiments of the embodiment described herein can beimplemented. While the embodiments have been described above in thegeneral context of computer-executable instructions that can run on oneor more computers, those skilled in the art will recognize that theembodiments can be also implemented in combination with other programmodules and/or as a combination of hardware and software.

Generally, program modules include routines, programs, components, datastructures, etc., that perform particular tasks or implement particularabstract data types. Moreover, those skilled in the art will appreciatethat in various embodiments, methods disclosed herein can be practicedwith other computer system configurations, including single-processor ormultiprocessor computer systems, minicomputers, mainframe computers,Internet of Things (IoT) devices, distributed computing systems, as wellas personal computers, hand-held computing devices, microprocessor-basedor programmable consumer electronics, and the like, each of which can beoperatively coupled to one or more associated devices.

The illustrated embodiments of the embodiments herein can be alsopracticed in distributed computing environments where certain tasks areperformed by remote processing devices that are linked through acommunications network. In a distributed computing environment, programmodules can be located in both local and remote memory storage devices.

Computing devices typically include a variety of media, which caninclude computer-readable storage media, machine-readable storage media,and/or communications media, which two terms are used herein differentlyfrom one another as follows. Computer-readable storage media ormachine-readable storage media can be any available storage media thatcan be accessed by the computer and includes both volatile andnonvolatile media, removable and non-removable media. By way of example,and not limitation, computer-readable storage media or machine-readablestorage media can be implemented in connection with any method ortechnology for storage of information such as computer-readable ormachine-readable instructions, program modules, structured data orunstructured data.

Computer-readable storage media can include, but are not limited to,random access memory (RAM), read only memory (ROM), electricallyerasable programmable read only memory (EEPROM), flash memory or othermemory technology, compact disk read only memory (CD-ROM), digitalversatile disk (DVD), Blu-ray disc (BD) or other optical disk storage,magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or othermagnetic storage devices, solid state drives or other solid statestorage devices, or other tangible and/or non-transitory media which canbe used to store desired information. In this regard, the terms“tangible” or “non-transitory” herein as applied to storage, memory orcomputer-readable media, are to be understood to exclude onlypropagating transitory signals per se as modifiers and do not relinquishrights to all standard storage, memory or computer-readable media thatare not only propagating transitory signals per se.

Computer-readable storage media can be accessed by one or more local orremote computing devices, e.g., via access requests, queries or otherdata retrieval protocols, for a variety of operations with respect tothe information stored by the medium.

Communications media typically embody computer-readable instructions,data structures, program modules or other structured or unstructureddata in a data signal such as a modulated data signal, e.g., a carrierwave or other transport mechanism, and includes any information deliveryor transport media. The term “modulated data signal” or signals refersto a signal that has one or more of its characteristics set or changedin such a manner as to encode information in one or more signals. By wayof example, and not limitation, communication media include wired media,such as a wired network or direct-wired connection, and wireless mediasuch as acoustic, RF, infrared and other wireless media.

With reference again to FIG. 11, the example environment 1100 forimplementing various embodiments of the aspects described hereinincludes a computer 1102, the computer 1102 including a processing unit1104, a system memory 1106 and a system bus 1108. The system bus 1108couples system components including, but not limited to, the systemmemory 1106 to the processing unit 1104. The processing unit 1104 can beany of various commercially available processors. Dual microprocessorsand other multi-processor architectures can also be employed as theprocessing unit 1104.

The system bus 1108 can be any of several types of bus structure thatcan further interconnect to a memory bus (with or without a memorycontroller), a peripheral bus, and a local bus using any of a variety ofcommercially available bus architectures. The system memory 1106includes ROM 1110 and RAM 1112. A basic input/output system (BIOS) canbe stored in a non-volatile memory such as ROM, erasable programmableread only memory (EPROM), EEPROM, which BIOS contains the basic routinesthat help to transfer information between elements within the computer1102, such as during startup. The RAM 1112 can also include a high-speedRAM such as static RAM for caching data.

The computer 1102 further includes an internal hard disk drive (HDD)1114 (e.g., EIDE, SATA), one or more external storage devices 1116(e.g., a magnetic floppy disk drive (FDD) 1116, a memory stick or flashdrive reader, a memory card reader, etc.) and an optical disk drive 1120(e.g., which can read or write from a CD-ROM disc, a DVD, a BD, etc.).While the internal HDD 1114 is illustrated as located within thecomputer 1102, the internal HDD 1114 can also be configured for externaluse in a suitable chassis (not shown). Additionally, while not shown inenvironment 1100, a solid state drive (SSD) could be used in additionto, or in place of, an HDD 1114. The HDD 1114, external storagedevice(s) 1116 and optical disk drive 1120 can be connected to thesystem bus 1108 by an HDD interface 1124, an external storage interface1126 and an optical drive interface 1128, respectively. The interface1124 for external drive implementations can include at least one or bothof Universal Serial Bus (USB) and Institute of Electrical andElectronics Engineers (IEEE) 1394 interface technologies. Other externaldrive connection technologies are within contemplation of theembodiments described herein.

The drives and their associated computer-readable storage media providenonvolatile storage of data, data structures, computer-executableinstructions, and so forth. For the computer 1102, the drives andstorage media accommodate the storage of any data in a suitable digitalformat. Although the description of computer-readable storage mediaabove refers to respective types of storage devices, it should beappreciated by those skilled in the art that other types of storagemedia which are readable by a computer, whether presently existing ordeveloped in the future, could also be used in the example operatingenvironment, and further, that any such storage media can containcomputer-executable instructions for performing the methods describedherein.

A number of program modules can be stored in the drives and RAM 1112,including an operating system 1130, one or more application programs1132, other program modules 1134 and program data 1136. All or portionsof the operating system, applications, modules, and/or data can also becached in the RAM 1112. The systems and methods described herein can beimplemented utilizing various commercially available operating systemsor combinations of operating systems.

Computer 1102 can optionally comprise emulation technologies. Forexample, a hypervisor (not shown) or other intermediary can emulate ahardware environment for operating system 1130, and the emulatedhardware can optionally be different from the hardware illustrated inFIG. 11. In such an embodiment, operating system 1130 can comprise onevirtual machine (VM) of multiple VMs hosted at computer 1102.Furthermore, operating system 1130 can provide runtime environments,such as the Java runtime environment or the .NET framework, forapplications 1132. Runtime environments are consistent executionenvironments that allow applications 1132 to run on any operating systemthat includes the runtime environment. Similarly, operating system 1130can support containers, and applications 1132 can be in the form ofcontainers, which are lightweight, standalone, executable packages ofsoftware that include, e.g., code, runtime, system tools, systemlibraries and settings for an application.

Further, computer 1102 can be enabled with a security module, such as atrusted processing module (TPM). For instance with a TPM, bootcomponents hash next in time boot components, and wait for a match ofresults to secured values, before loading a next boot component. Thisprocess can take place at any layer in the code execution stack ofcomputer 1102, e.g., applied at the application execution level or atthe operating system (OS) kernel level, thereby enabling security at anylevel of code execution.

A user can enter commands and information into the computer 1102 throughone or more wired/wireless input devices, e.g., a keyboard 1138, a touchscreen 1140, and a pointing device, such as a mouse 1142. Other inputdevices (not shown) can include a microphone, an infrared (IR) remotecontrol, a radio frequency (RF) remote control, or other remote control,a joystick, a virtual reality controller and/or virtual reality headset,a game pad, a stylus pen, an image input device, e.g., camera(s), agesture sensor input device, a vision movement sensor input device, anemotion or facial detection device, a biometric input device, e.g.,fingerprint or iris scanner, or the like. These and other input devicesare often connected to the processing unit 1104 through an input deviceinterface 1144 that can be coupled to the system bus 1108, but can beconnected by other interfaces, such as a parallel port, an IEEE 1394serial port, a game port, a USB port, an IR interface, a BLUETOOTH®interface, etc.

A monitor 1146 or other type of display device can be also connected tothe system bus 1108 via an interface, such as a video adapter 1148. Inaddition to the monitor 1146, a computer typically includes otherperipheral output devices (not shown), such as speakers, printers, etc.

The computer 1102 can operate in a networked environment using logicalconnections via wired and/or wireless communications to one or moreremote computers, such as a remote computer(s) 1150. The remotecomputer(s) 1150 can be a workstation, a server computer, a router, apersonal computer, portable computer, microprocessor-based entertainmentappliance, a peer device or other common network node, and typicallyincludes many or all of the elements described relative to the computer1102, although, for purposes of brevity, only a memory/storage device1152 is illustrated. The logical connections depicted includewired/wireless connectivity to a local area network (LAN) 1154 and/orlarger networks, e.g., a wide area network (WAN) 1156. Such LAN and WANnetworking environments are commonplace in offices and companies, andfacilitate enterprise-wide computer networks, such as intranets, all ofwhich can connect to a global communications network, e.g., theInternet.

When used in a LAN networking environment, the computer 1102 can beconnected to the local network 1154 through a wired and/or wirelesscommunication network interface or adapter 1158. The adapter 1158 canfacilitate wired or wireless communication to the LAN 1154, which canalso include a wireless access point (AP) disposed thereon forcommunicating with the adapter 1158 in a wireless mode.

When used in a WAN networking environment, the computer 1102 can includea modem 1160 or can be connected to a communications server on the WAN1156 via other means for establishing communications over the WAN 1156,such as by way of the Internet. The modem 1160, which can be internal orexternal and a wired or wireless device, can be connected to the systembus 1108 via the input device interface 1144. In a networkedenvironment, program modules depicted relative to the computer 1102 orportions thereof, can be stored in the remote memory/storage device1152. It will be appreciated that the network connections shown areexample and other means of establishing a communications link betweenthe computers can be used.

When used in either a LAN or WAN networking environment, the computer1102 can access cloud storage systems or other network-based storagesystems in addition to, or in place of, external storage devices 1116 asdescribed above. Generally, a connection between the computer 1102 and acloud storage system can be established over a LAN 1154 or WAN 1156e.g., by the adapter 1158 or modem 1160, respectively. Upon connectingthe computer 1102 to an associated cloud storage system, the externalstorage interface 1126 can, with the aid of the adapter 1158 and/ormodem 1160, manage storage provided by the cloud storage system as itwould other types of external storage. For instance, the externalstorage interface 1126 can be configured to provide access to cloudstorage sources as if those sources were physically connected to thecomputer 1102.

The computer 1102 can be operable to communicate with any wirelessdevices or entities operatively disposed in wireless communication,e.g., a printer, scanner, desktop and/or portable computer, portabledata assistant, communications satellite, any piece of equipment orlocation associated with a wirelessly detectable tag (e.g., a kiosk,news stand, store shelf, etc.), and telephone. This can include WirelessFidelity (Wi-Fi) and BLUETOOTH® wireless technologies. Thus, thecommunication can be a predefined structure as with a conventionalnetwork or simply an ad hoc communication between at least two devices.

Wi-Fi allows connection to the Internet from a desired location (e.g., avehicle, couch at home, a bed in a hotel room, or a conference room atwork, etc.) without wires. Wi-Fi is a wireless technology similar tothat used in a cell phone that enables such devices, e.g., mobilephones, computers, etc., to send and receive data indoors and out,anywhere within the range of a base station. Wi-Fi networks use radiotechnologies called IEEE 802.11 (a, b, g, etc.) to provide secure,reliable, fast wireless connectivity. A Wi-Fi network can be used toconnect devices (e.g., mobile phones, computers, etc.) to each other, tothe Internet, and to wired networks (which use IEEE 802.3 or Ethernet).Wi-Fi networks operate in the unlicensed 2.4 and 5 GHz radio bands, atan 11 Mbps (802.11a) or 54 Mbps (802.11b) data rate, for example, orwith products that contain both bands (dual band), so the networks canprovide real-world performance similar to the basic 10BaseT wiredEthernet networks used in many offices.

As utilized herein, terms “component,” “system,” “server,” and the likeare intended to refer to a computer-related entity, hardware, software(e.g., in execution), and/or firmware. For example, a component can be aprocessor, a process running on a processor, an object, an executable, aprogram, a storage device, and/or a computer. By way of illustration, anapplication running on a server and the server can be a component. Oneor more components can reside within a process, and a component can belocalized on one computer and/or distributed between two or morecomputers.

Aspects of systems, apparatus, and processes explained herein canconstitute machine-executable instructions embodied within a machine,e.g., embodied in a computer readable medium (or media) associated withthe machine. Such instructions, when executed by the machine, can causethe machine to perform the operations described. Additionally, systems,processes, process blocks, etc. can be embodied within hardware, such asan application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or the like. Moreover,the order in which some or all of the process blocks appear in eachprocess should not be deemed limiting. Rather, it should be understoodby a person of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of theinstant disclosure that some of the process blocks can be executed in avariety of orders not illustrated.

Further, components can execute from various computer readable mediahaving various data structures stored thereon. The components cancommunicate via local and/or remote processes such as in accordance witha signal having one or more data packets (e.g., data from one componentinteracting with another component in a local system, distributedsystem, and/or across a network, e.g., the Internet, with other systemsvia the signal).

As another example, a component can be an apparatus with specificfunctionality provided by mechanical parts operated by electric orelectronic circuitry; the electric or electronic circuitry can beoperated by a software application or a firmware application executed byone or more processors; the one or more processors can be internal orexternal to the apparatus and can execute at least a part of thesoftware or firmware application. As yet another example, a componentcan be an apparatus that provides specific functionality throughelectronic components without mechanical parts; the electroniccomponents can include one or more processors therein to executesoftware and/or firmware that confer(s), at least in part, thefunctionality of the electronic components.

Further, aspects, features, and/or advantages of the disclosed subjectmatter can be exploited in substantially any wireless telecommunicationor radio technology, e.g., IEEE 802.XX technology, e.g., Wi-Fi,Bluetooth, etc.; WiMAX; enhanced GPRS; 3GPP LTE; 3GPP2; UMB; 3GPP UMTS;HSPA; high speed downlink packet access (HSDPA); high speed uplinkpacket access (HSUPA); LTE-A, GSM, NFC, Wibree, Zigbee, satellite, Wi-FiDirect, etc.

Further, selections of a radio technology, or radio access technology,can include second generation (2G), third generation (3G), fourthgeneration (4G), fifth generation (5G), x^(th) generation, etc.evolution of the radio access technology; however, such selections arenot intended as a limitation of the disclosed subject matter and relatedaspects thereof. Further, aspects, features, and/or advantages of thedisclosed subject matter can be exploited in disparate electromagneticfrequency bands. Moreover, one or more embodiments described herein canbe executed in one or more network elements, and/or within one or moreelements of a network infrastructure, e.g., radio network controller,wireless access point (AP), etc.

Moreover, terms like “user equipment” (UE), “mobile device”, “mobilestation,” “mobile subscriber station,” “access terminal,” “terminal”,“handset,” “appliance,” “machine,” “wireless communication device,”“cellular phone,” “personal digital assistant,” “smartphone,” “wirelessdevice”, and similar terminology refer to a wireless device, or wirelesscommunication device, which is at least one of (1) utilized by asubscriber of a wireless service, or communication service, to receiveand/or convey data associated with voice, video, sound, and/orsubstantially any data-stream or signaling-stream; or (2) utilized by asubscriber of a voice over IP (VoIP) service that delivers voicecommunications over IP networks such as the Internet or otherpacket-switched networks. Further, the foregoing terms are utilizedinterchangeably in the subject specification and related drawings.

A communication network, e.g., corresponding to a wireless system (seee.g., 100), for systems, methods, and/or apparatus disclosed herein caninclude any suitable mobile and/or wireline-based circuit-switchedcommunication network including a GSM network, a time division multipleaccess (TDMA) network, a code division multiple access (CDMA) network,such as an Interim Standard 95 (IS-95) and subsequent iterations of CDMAtechnology, an integrated digital enhanced network (iDEN) network and aPSTN. Further, examples of the communication network can include anysuitable data packet-switched or combination datapacket/circuit-switched communication network, wired or wireless IPnetwork such as a VoLTE network, a VoIP network, an IP data network, aUMTS network, a GPRS network, or other communication networks thatprovide streaming data communication over IP and/or integrated voice anddata communication over combination data packet/circuit-switchedtechnologies.

Similarly, one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that awireless device, e.g., a wireless communication device, a userequipment, etc. for systems, methods, and/or apparatus disclosed hereincan include a mobile device, a mobile phone, a 4G, a 5G, etc. cellularcommunication device, a PSTN phone, a cellular communication device, acellular phone, a satellite communication device, a satellite phone, aVoIP phone, WiFi phone, a dual-mode cellular/WiFi phone, a combinationcellular/VoIP/WiFi/WiMAX phone, a portable computer, or any suitablecombination thereof. Specific examples of a wireless system can include,but are not limited to, a cellular device, such as a GSM, TDMA, CDMA,IS-95 and/or iDEN phone, a cellular/WiFi device, such as a dual-modeGSM, TDMA, IS-95 and/or iDEN/VoIP phones, UMTS phones, UMTS VoIP phones,or like devices or combinations thereof.

The disclosed subject matter can be implemented as a method, apparatus,or article of manufacture using standard programming and/or engineeringtechniques to produce software, firmware, hardware, or any combinationthereof to control a computer to implement the disclosed subject matter.The term “article of manufacture” as used herein is intended toencompass a computer program accessible from any computer-readabledevice, computer-readable carrier, or computer-readable media. Forexample, computer-readable media can include, but are not limited to,magnetic storage devices, e.g., hard disk; floppy disk; magneticstrip(s); optical disk (e.g., compact disk (CD), digital video disc(DVD), Blu-ray Disc (BD)); smart card(s); and flash memory device(s)(e.g., card, stick, key drive); and/or a virtual device that emulates astorage device and/or any of the above computer-readable media.

In accordance with various aspects of the subject specification,artificial intelligence based systems, components, etc. can employclassifier(s) that are explicitly trained, e.g., via a generic trainingdata, as well as implicitly trained, e.g., via observing characteristicsof communication equipment, e.g., a gateway, a wireless communicationdevice, etc., by receiving reports from such communication equipment, byreceiving operator preferences, by receiving historical information, byreceiving extrinsic information, etc.

For example, support vector machines can be configured via a learning ortraining phase within a classifier constructor and feature selectionmodule, component, etc. Thus, the classifier(s) can be used by anartificial intelligence system to automatically learn and perform anumber of functions, e.g., performed by a system (e.g., 100), includingbut not limited to: determining, via a BBU pool of base station devices,respective uplink channel estimates of an uplink channel wirelesslycoupling, using FDD via respective modular antenna elements of the BBUpool, a UE to the BBU pool; based on the respective uplink channelestimates, deriving a downlink channel estimate of a downlink channelwirelessly coupling, using the FDD via a portion of the respectivemodular antenna elements corresponding to a base station device of theBBU pool, the base station device to the UE; and generating, using thedownlink channel estimate, a group of downlink sector beams to betransmitted to the UE using the downlink channel via the portion of therespective modular antenna elements corresponding to the base stationdevice of the BBU pool.

A classifier can be a function that maps an input attribute vector,x=(x1, x2, x3, x4, xn), to a confidence that the input belongs to aclass, that is, f(x)=confidence (class). Such classification can employa probabilistic and/or statistical-based analysis (e.g., factoring intothe analysis utilities and costs) to infer an action that a user, e.g.,subscriber, desires to be automatically performed. In the case ofcommunication systems, for example, attributes can be informationreceived from access points, services, components of a wirelesscommunication network, etc., and the classes can be categories or areasof interest (e.g., levels of priorities). A support vector machine is anexample of a classifier that can be employed. The support vector machineoperates by finding a hypersurface in the space of possible inputs,which the hypersurface attempts to split the triggering criteria fromthe non-triggering events. Intuitively, this makes the classificationcorrect for testing data that is near, but not identical to trainingdata. Other directed and undirected model classification approachesinclude, e.g., naïve Bayes, Bayesian networks, decision trees, neuralnetworks, fuzzy logic models, and probabilistic classification modelsproviding different patterns of independence can be employed.Classification as used herein can also be inclusive of statisticalregression that is utilized to develop models of priority.

As used herein, the term “infer” or “inference” refers generally to theprocess of reasoning about, or inferring states of, the system,environment, user, and/or intent from a set of observations as capturedvia events and/or data. Captured data and events can include user data,device data, environment data, data from sensors, sensor data,application data, implicit data, explicit data, etc. Inference can beemployed to identify a specific context or action, or can generate aprobability distribution over states of interest based on aconsideration of data and events, for example.

Inference can also refer to techniques employed for composinghigher-level events from a set of events and/or data. Such inferenceresults in the construction of new events or actions from a set ofobserved events and/or stored event data, whether the events arecorrelated in close temporal proximity, and whether the events and datacome from one or several event and data sources. Various classificationschemes and/or systems (e.g., support vector machines, neural networks,expert systems, Bayesian belief networks, fuzzy logic, and data fusionengines) can be employed in connection with performing automatic and/orinferred action in connection with the disclosed subject matter.

Further, the word “exemplary” and/or “demonstrative” is used herein tomean serving as an example, instance, or illustration. For the avoidanceof doubt, the subject matter disclosed herein is not limited by suchexamples. In addition, any aspect or design described herein as“exemplary” and/or “demonstrative” is not necessarily to be construed aspreferred or advantageous over other aspects or designs, nor is it meantto preclude equivalent exemplary structures and techniques known tothose of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of the instantdisclosure.

Furthermore, to the extent that the terms “includes,” “has,” “contains,”and other similar words are used in either the detailed description orthe appended claims, such terms are intended to be inclusive—in a mannersimilar to the term “comprising” as an open transition word—withoutprecluding any additional or other elements. Moreover, the term “or” isintended to mean an inclusive “or” rather than an exclusive “or”. Thatis, unless specified otherwise, or clear from context, “X employs A orB” is intended to mean any of the natural inclusive permutations. Thatis, if X employs A; X employs B; or X employs both A and B, then “Xemploys A or B” is satisfied under any of the foregoing instances. Inaddition, the articles “a” and “an” as used in this application and theappended claims should generally be construed to mean “one or more”unless specified otherwise or clear from context to be directed to asingular form.

The above description of illustrated embodiments of the subjectdisclosure, including what is described in the Abstract, is not intendedto be exhaustive or to limit the disclosed embodiments to the preciseforms disclosed. While specific embodiments and examples are describedherein for illustrative purposes, various modifications are possiblethat are considered within the scope of such embodiments and examples,as those skilled in the relevant art can recognize.

In this regard, while the disclosed subject matter has been described inconnection with various embodiments and corresponding Figures, whereapplicable, it is to be understood that other similar embodiments can beused or modifications and additions can be made to the describedembodiments for performing the same, similar, alternative, or substitutefunction of the disclosed subject matter without deviating therefrom.Therefore, the disclosed subject matter should not be limited to anysingle embodiment described herein, but rather should be construed inbreadth and scope in accordance with the appended claims below.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system, comprising: a processor; and a memorythat stores executable instructions that, when executed by theprocessor, facilitate performance of operations by the processor,comprising: determining, via a base band unit pool of base stationdevices, respective uplink channel estimates of an uplink channelwirelessly coupling, using frequency division duplexing via respectivemodular antenna elements of the base band unit pool, a user equipment tothe base band unit pool; based on the respective uplink channelestimates, deriving a downlink channel estimate of a downlink channelwirelessly coupling, using the frequency division duplexing via aportion of the respective modular antenna elements corresponding to abase station device of the base band unit pool, the base station deviceto the user equipment; and generating, using the downlink channelestimate, a group of downlink sector beams to be transmitted to the userequipment using the downlink channel via the portion of the respectivemodular antenna elements corresponding to the base station device of thebase band unit pool.
 2. The system of claim 1, wherein determining therespective uplink channel estimates comprises: determining therespective uplink channel estimates utilizing data signals andrespective demodulation reference signals corresponding to the datasignals, wherein the data signals have been received by at least a partof the base station devices of the base band unit pool via a datachannel wirelessly coupling the user equipment to the part of the basestation devices.
 3. The system of claim 1, wherein the downlink channelestimate comprises a downlink frequency response of the downlinkchannel, and wherein deriving the downlink channel estimate comprises:characterizing a channel delay spread of the uplink channel to obtain acharacterization of the channel delay spread; and based on thecharacterization of the channel delay spread, an uplink frequencyresponse of an uplink signal that has been received on the uplinkchannel, and an angle of arrival of the uplink signal, deriving thedownlink frequency response of the downlink channel.
 4. The system ofclaim 3, wherein characterizing the channel delay spread comprises:determining a statistical average of the uplink channel estimate over adefined period of time that is based on a channel time coherence of theuplink channel, and over a frequency span that is based on a frequencycoherence bandwidth of the uplink signal.
 5. The system of claim 1,wherein the downlink channel estimate comprises a downlink angle ofdeparture of a downlink sector beam of the group of downlink sectorbeams, and wherein deriving the downlink channel estimate comprises:based on an uplink angle of arrival of an uplink signal that has beenreceived on the uplink channel, deriving, via resampling based on aratio of an uplink carrier frequency of the uplink channel to a downlinkcarrier frequency of the downlink channel, the downlink angle ofdeparture of the downlink sector beam.
 6. The system of claim 1, whereinthe operations further comprise: transmitting, using the downlinkchannel via the portion of the respective modular antenna elementscorresponding to the base station device of the base band unit pool, thegroup of downlink sector beams to the user equipment, wherein theportion of the respective modular antenna elements are placed on anantenna tower or a rooftop of a building according to a group ofavailable positions, wherein the group of available positions comprisesan arbitrary position on the antenna tower or the rooftop, a horizontalposition on the antenna tower or the rooftop, and a vertical position onthe antenna tower or the rooftop, and wherein the portion of therespective modular antenna elements are connected together, via softwarecorresponding to a baseband unit of the base band unit pool, to obtain acontiguous antenna comprising at least one of multi-panel or moduleconnectivity to facilitate an enhancement of at least one of an apertureof the contiguous antenna or a performance of the contiguous antenna. 7.The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:assigning, via the respective modular antenna elements, additionalcapacity from the base band unit pool to obtain an increased apertureand increased orthogonal beams to facilitate increased simultaneousmobile terminal communications over common time slots and commonfrequency slots.
 8. The system of claim 6, wherein transmitting thegroup of downlink sector beams comprises adapting, via the portion ofthe respective modular antenna elements corresponding to the basestation device of the base band unit pool, respective transmissions ofthe group of downlink sector beams to the user equipment, and whereinadapting the respective transmissions comprises modifying at least oneof: an uplink power control parameter, a shape of a downlink sector beamof the group of downlink sector beams, an azimuth of a transmission ofthe respective transmissions, an elevation of the transmission, a powerof the transmission, or a number of the downlink sector beams that areincluded in the group of downlink sector beams.
 9. The system of claim1, wherein the operations further comprise: reducing an effect ofpassive intermodulation interference on uplink signals that have beenreceived from the user equipment by transmitting, using the downlinkchannel via at least a part of the respective modular antenna elementsof the base band unit pool, at least one null directed to respectivelocations of a group of determined passive intermodulation interferencesources.
 10. The system of claim 9, wherein the operations furthercomprise: avoiding transmission of data in at least one of a directionassociated with the determined passive intermodulation interferencesources or towards a beam associated with the determined passiveintermodulation interference sources.
 11. The system of claim 1, whereinthe operations further comprise: reducing an effect of passiveintermodulation interference on uplink signals that have been receivedfrom the user equipment by modifying, based on a received signalcovariance function, a group of uplink weights to be applied to theuplink signals, and applying, during uplink beamforming, the group ofuplink weights to the uplink signals to emulate that at least one nullhas been directed to respective locations of a group of determinedpassive intermodulation interference sources.
 12. The system of claim 1,wherein the operations further comprise: determining respectivedetermined locations of non-served cell user equipment devices using atleast one of uplink pilot signals, sounding reference signals, or datasignals that have been received via at least the part of the respectivemodular antenna elements of the base band unit pool; and reducing aneffect of interference corresponding to transmissions of the non-servedcell user equipment devices on uplink signals that have been receivedfrom the user equipment by transmitting, using the downlink channel viaat least the part of the respective modular antenna elements of the baseband unit pool, at least one null directed to respective determinedlocations of the non-served cell user equipment devices.
 13. The systemof claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise: optimizing acommunication capacity of the downlink channel while satisfyingcorresponding communication conditions of the downlink channel byassigning higher communication priorities to respective communications,via the uplink channel or the downlink channel, corresponding to aportion of a group of mobile devices corresponding to a determinedcommunication bandwidth that is lower than remaining determinedcommunication bandwidths of remaining portions of the group of mobiledevices, or assigning higher transmission powers to the respectivecommunications, via the uplink channel or the downlink channel,corresponding to the portion of the group of mobile devicescorresponding to the determined communication bandwidth that is lowerthan the remaining determined communication bandwidths.
 14. The systemof claim 13, wherein optimizing of the communication capacity furthercomprises: estimating the separability of the group of mobile devicesvia at least one of covariance cross correlation or identification ofspecific orthogonal beams corresponding to respective locations of themobile devices, and in response to estimating the separability of thegroup of mobile devices, optimizing the communication capacity bydetermining whether to schedule parallel transmissions to the mobiledevices.
 15. The system of claim 14, wherein mobile devices of the groupof mobile devices having different quality of service class identifiersare assigned distinct priorities corresponding to the paralleltransmissions to facilitate differentiation of respective qualities ofservice corresponding to the group of mobile devices.
 16. A method,comprising: determining, by a system comprising a processor via a groupof base station devices of the system using frequency divisionduplexing, uplink channel estimates of an uplink channel wirelesslycoupling a user equipment to the group of base station devices viarespective modular antenna elements of the group of base stationdevices; based on the uplink channel estimates, determining, by thesystem, a downlink channel estimate of a downlink channel wirelesslycoupling, using frequency division duplexing, a base station device ofthe group of base station devices to the user equipment via a portion ofthe respective modular antenna elements corresponding to the basestation device; and based on the downlink channel estimate, generating,by the system, a group of downlink sector beams to be transmitted, viathe portion of the respective modular antenna elements corresponding tothe base station device, to the user equipment.
 17. The method of claim16, further comprising: mitigating, by the system, interference from aportion of base station devices of the group of base station devicesthat are located at an edge of a wireless coverage area of the group ofbase station devices by reassigning at least one orthogonal pilot signalcorresponding to non-served cell user equipment devices corresponding tothe portion of base station devices.
 18. The method of claim 16, furthercomprising: minimizing, by the system via a characteristic of a passivegain of the portion of the respective modular antenna elements or via areduction of respective transmit powers to a center portion of a cellcorresponding to the respective modular antenna elements, an amount ofenergy corresponding to downlink transmissions via the portion of therespective modular antenna elements.
 19. A non-transitorymachine-readable medium, comprising executable instructions that, whenexecuted by a base station device comprising a processor, facilitateperformance of operations, comprising: deriving, using a base band unitpool of base station devices, an uplink channel characteristic of anuplink channel wirelessly coupling, using respective modular antennapanels of the base station devices via frequency division duplexing, auser equipment to the base band unit pool; based on the uplink channelestimate, deriving a downlink channel estimate of a downlink channelwireless coupling, using a portion of the respective modular antennapanels via the frequency division duplexing, the user equipment to abase station device of the base band unit pool; and based on thedownlink channel estimate, generating a group of downlink sector beamsto be transmitted, using the downlink channel via the portion of therespective modular antenna panels, to the user equipment.
 20. Thenon-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 19, wherein theoperations further comprise: using the portion of the respective modularantenna panels, adapting respective transmissions of the group ofdownlink sector beams to facilitate a reduction of interferencecorresponding to at least one non-served cell user equipment or a sourceof passive intermodulation interference.